Letter of the week: Make sure you hit the right kind of South Tyneside pothole
As any driver in South Tyneside can tell you, the condition of the roads is an absolute disgrace.
I had the misfortune to damage my car after going over a pothole in South Shields in January, incidentally, the pothole was repaired a few days later.
I duly completed a claim form to recover the cost of repairs which was, ironically, dealt with by Sunderland City Council who deal with all insurance claims from South Tyneside.
After four months I received a 21-page letter rejecting my claim.
Apparently there are two grades of potholes: Category one is a pothole of 40mm or more, which is repaired within 24 hours and category two is a pothole less than category one but could cause a hazard, which is repaired within 10 days.
Obviously, my claim fell into category two, hence the rejection.
Bearing in mind the time and manpower involved in investigating my claim, I would guess the cost to South Tyneside Council far outweighs the value of my claim.
I would advise anyone unfortunate enough to have a potential claim, firstly, make sure you hit a category one pothole and secondly, don’t hold your breath waiting for a quick response, the wheels of bureaucracy turn very slowly in South Tyneside Council.
Brian Leithead.